Notes: Hi everyone! I'm back with a new and very fresh chapter of "In Between Worlds"! I particularly enjoyed writing this one, as some of our beloved characters make their grand entrance, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it as well! Without further ado, I give you CHAPTER 5! ^o^

I was incredibly calm, given the fact that someone just showed up at our door uninvited, demanding to see me nonetheless. I didn't even flinch, but I knew that I had to go check it out myself. I guess that the only reason why I didn't rush to the stairs right away was the fact that I couldn't sense any Demon energy around the house, so there was no danger awaiting there – that, or whoever was there knew how to conceal their presence perfectly, which was a pretty difficult thing to do, even for the strongest ones. On a second thought, my uncle's voice sounded just as cheerful as usual, maybe even… ecstatic? That should have been a relief, excepting the fact that it wasn't – there was something really odd about it. It was almost like he was happy about me having a visitor at this unusual hour, which made me grow even more suspicious with every step that I took down the stairs. What would he be so happy about? Could it be…? No, for the love of God, please don't make it be …

"Katsumi! What are you doing here?"

My voice was squeakier than I intended it to be, so much that uncle Yoshi switched his gaze to face me, showing a very confused look. This was not the way you would normally welcome a friend showing up, but it was anything but normal for her to be here. I couldn't make any sense of it for the first ten seconds, as I was staring before noticing that she held a bag behind her back; her peering brown eyes were staring back at me, with a hint of reproach hiding inside them - she already started demanding answers without even speaking. She knew something was up. I was screwed. There was no escaping it this time.

"Sorry to bother you at this hour! I only came to return your bag!" she squealed in a childish voice, making every effort to look confused about the whole situation. She then revealed the bag, who was clearly mine, as I doodled a blue cloud on the back of it so I could distinguish it. " I was so dizzy after that horrifying History class, that I must have taken yours by mistake! ". Obviously, she didn't swap our bags - she brought mine back, the one that I forgot at school while I was too busy to find the most suitable alibi for skipping two classes. She had no idea what happened, but that was the precise reason why she was here – she wanted to know everything. And she wanted it as soon as possible.

"It's alright, really. Thank you for coming all the way here, you shouldn't have bothered…", I muttered, trying to conceal my dissatisfaction. Clearly, I wasn't doing so great, as my uncle felt the need to intervene.

"But we really appreciate your effort", he quickly chimed in, with a wide smile spreading across his face. "And since you're here, why don't you stay for dinner, Katsumi? It's so nice to see that Amaya has made friends so soon!"

I raised my eyebrows at her, hoping that she would take the hint and politely turn down the invitation. While she seemed pretty convincing with her whole dizziness-thing, I was almost certain he didn't buy any of it. For what's worth, I believed his true purpose or inviting her to be his finding out more about my first school day, or maybe even how I got to get home earlier, and without a bag. Luckily, Katsumi already had everything planned out, and it was the first time that day when I was actually thankful for her cunning.

"Actually, Nakamura-san, I was wondering if you'd allow Amaya to join me for a walk downtown? She has told me that she didn't get a chance to see the city yet, and it would be my pleasure to continue my guide role outside the school gates, if you'd agree", she pleaded politely, while throwing an impatient glance towards me.

She waited for some kind a back-up for my part, but I was unmoved. I was glued to the stairs, watching the whole scene like I was outside of it, observing it silently. She was a force of nature - she was capable of doing anything when it came to fulfilling her goal – which was, obviously, to find out what happened after we met during lunch break, and while I was hoping to delay the conversation with uncle Yoshi just a little bit longer, I was more afraid of the pile of questions backing up in her head. I switched my sight to my uncle, who seemed to ponder her proposal carefully, with a small frown taking over his face again – there it was, the big " no" making its way towards a very hopeful Katsumi, who was staring at him with imploring eyes. I could already picture her distorted with disappointment as she would hear his response, when he suddenly sighted resignedly.

"Well, I suppose it would be nice for the two of you to wander through the city for a couple hours…I agree, but that would be it. Two hours. You still have school tomorrow, so you have to be back home by 10."

"Of course! We won't be late, I promise! Thank you, Nakamura-san!", she shouted happily, jumping on her feet, twirling around to face me. "Amaya, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

I only nodded at her, before turning on my feet to run upstairs so I could get changed. I was wrong before – then, I wasn't screwed, but that changed over two minutes ago. She actually managed to convince him to let me skip dinner AND go downtown on a schoolday. Yeah, she was a force of nature - a very scary one. She had me convinced on that. I put on some clothes (finally something that didn't require wearing a skirt) and ran downstairs, where Katsumi was already tapping her feet impatiently. She was ready to take off, when uncle Yoshi deliberately cleared his throat, making us stop from stepping out.

"Be safe, both of you!", he added, while giving me a slightly concerned look. I knew that we were going to eventually talk about everything, but now it became a more of a necessity – he was clearly picking up the hints, and they seemingly got him more worried than he would have been if he knew it in the beginning. I hugged him reassuringly before leaving, with my teal-haired friend dragging me by one hand - her impatience was pulsing throughout her whole body, surrounding us like an invisible shield. We walked for a few minutes in utter silence, which was even more confusing than us walking in the first place. I was definitely expecting her to suggest on taking a train, but it didn't seem to match her well-made plan. She was stalling, waiting for a moment to start with her scolding, or so I thought – instead, she just started talking in a rather casual tone, while keeping her eyes focused on the road.

"You seem more like yourself dressed like this. I like it!", she noted, taking a quick glance at me. " Your uncle seems like a nice person, too. I wasn't actually expecting him to be so … compliant, so to speak. I thought it would take a lot more to get you out."

"Yeah, I guess he was…", I replied briefly, when I remembered a little detail that didn't quite add up. "Speaking of that…how did you actually find me? I never actually told you where I lived."

"That's not as complicated as you might think it is", she chuckled lightly, amused by my sudden revelation. "Nakamura isn't a very frequent name in this part of Tokyo, and judging by the fact that you came to school on foot this morning, I figured that you must live in the near proximity of Meiou High. It also turned out that my father has known your uncle since he moved here years ago, so…that's how I knew that you're his niece, rather than his daughter. I wouldn't have guessed it any other - your eyes are exactly the same."

I was completely dismayed by her insight – it seemed that she wasn't joking at all when she said that she "did her homework" on me. She found my uncle's house in no time, just by knowing that I ran on my way to school. That was an incredible asset – an incredibly scary, and extremely dangerous one, if it ever fell in the wrong pair of hands. I blinked a few times before finally being able to gather own my words.

"You are very shrewd, aren't you?", I mumbled, trying to seem convinced by her "it wasn't as complicated as I might think" explanation. She might have been right though – given the events that took place earlier that day, there were great chances that I was being a little paranoid ( or cautious, because I liked the sound of it better). Either way, I was determined to keep an attentive eye on her, for the sake of her safety – and also my own. After all, she wasn't the only one that kept tabs on me, and out of all the others, she was clearly the most harmless.

"You could say that, I suppose", she giggled, sticking out her tongue. "However, what I'm more interested in is what actually went down there after lunchbreak. Minamino skipped class too, and I heard him talking to the History teacher, saying that you didn't feel well. You were excused for the rest of the day, but I think there's more to this story of his."

All right. She was shrewd, but she was even more inquisitive – she had no problem with asking straightforward questions, as long as her curiosity would be satisfied in the end. I looked at her, but she was still looking in the distance, checking out her step from time to time - the only thing that gave her away was a tiny, mischievous smile upturning the corners of her mouth. She wouldn't believe the alibi that I gave to my teachers, so I had to think of something that she would want to hear, some story that would please her drama-loving heart.

"He wasn't actually lying. I did, in fact, faint at some point, but it wasn't for the reasons that he might have mentioned."

I could see her turn her head to watch me up close, but I had my lines carefully prepared - as expected, she didn't reply, but waited for me to keep going with the storytelling. I looked up to see that we were already approaching a more crowded area of the city, as people were passing by us from every possible direction. Even if it was a workday, the streets were filled with noise, with children running and giggling, while their parents were slowly walking behind them, with no sign of exasperation on their faces. ( more description here maybe?)

"What's going on? Isn't it a little too lively for a Monday evening?"

"Yeah, it is. But it's expectable, since there's a big football game tonight. Lots of people are gathering there – apparently kids nowadays love sports more than we ever did", she shrugged, as we passed some group of people who were taking photos nearby. "But while I'm amazed by your fine observation, what you were saying was far more interesting. Please, continue. "

" Right, that. What I was saying is that I didn't faint because of the heat, or poor eating during the day. I mean, not specifically. The weather was just fine, and so was I. But then, there we were talking about the Biology class and, suddenly, my sight became blurry, just like that. My fair guess is that, maybe…well, maybe you were right about one thing."

"What am I hearing? Are you actually going to finally give up your tough act and admit it? Is this really happening?", she squealed, stopping from walking as her grin grew wider.

"Don't make such a fuss about it. Just take the win. You were right. I'm not going to say that twice", I chuckled nervously, while playing with the hem of my jacket – this whole embarrassed act was far more difficult than I thought, but it seemed to be successful, as Katsumi's smile spread all over her face, and her eyes were sparkling with delight.

"Horray! It's about time! It took you long enough, but this is progress, Nakamura. We should be celebrating for this!"

Before I had the chance to ask what was on her mind, she took my hand and rushed me to the side of the sidewalk, to what seemed to be a ramen booth. It was rather small, and by the sound of it, there already were a few people in there, but that didn't stop Katsumi to swoop in, like she owned the place.

" Urameshi! Long time no see! It's been so long, you guys!", she cheered, as she stuck her head behind the booth's short curtain.

For a slight second, it felt like my feet froze on the ground beneath them. Urameshi? Why is this name sounding so familiar? While I couldn't remember when or where I even heard it, I could sense the intense Demon energy bursting from inside that booth, making me feel quite uneasy. What in the world is happening in this town? This is the third demon I get to encounter on my very first day here. Who is this guy, and how in the world could Katsumi know him? I must have been lost in thought for too long, because in no time I felt Katsumi's hand dragging me closer to the chairs lined up in the front on the counter, as she took a seat.

"Come on, Nakamura. This ramen will definitely bring your mood back up! Let Minamino outside your mind for tonight, alright?", she cheered loudly, before raising her hands and pointing them towards me, like I was some kind of exhibit. "Guys, this is my friend, Amaya. She's been around for a short time, so I thought it was about time to start her tour with the best ramen in the area."

"Katsumi, you're overdoing it! You're not getting a discount for that, you know", the dark haired guy squealed, peeking at the other guy before turning his gaze to meet mine. "Nice to meet you, Amaya! I'm Yusuke!", he greeted, giving me a confident smile. His brown eyes, however, flashed with a trace of shock, while his eyebrows furrowed with slight unease. I expected that, since I was certain that he would sense my energy right away. His body began to glow with a red light, almost as he was giving away a glimpse of his power – like a warning. I frowned lightly, as I felt my eyes sparkling on their own, but it only lasted a few seconds. He retrieved his aura, before putting up another smile, as he went on with his introduction.

"And this is Kuwabara, my best friend". I turned my head towards him, noticing the same wary look in his eyes, although he seemed to be more confused than Yusuke. I waved my hand at him, trying to lower the tension that filled up the air between all of us.

"Nice to meet you! This place looks really nice!", I murmured, trying to ease my way out of the conversation. They both nodded and smiled in return to my greetings, before exchanging another look between them. Was this other guy another psychic? There was something different about him as well, but I couldn't get there yet - my concern was around Yusuke's tremendous energy, which was still flickering like a lightbulb.

"What's the matter with all of you? You are unusually quiet!"

I almost forgot that Katsumi was still there. She was shifting her gaze from one to another, confused and slightly annoyed by the uncomfortable silence. What a luck to be a normal human, I thought, sighing softly as the guys both started to chuckle.

"No, it's nothing", Yusuke pondered, tossing his hand at the back of his head I just thought that she looked familiar, although I'm not sure how exactly ". He was trying to look as relaxed as he could be, but anyone could see that he wasn't - anyone but Katsumi, anyway. He was doing the same thing that I did earlier, trying to figure out if we ever met before.

"How could she look familiar? Have you seen this kind of hair anywhere? I'm still amazed about how natural it looks!", she retorted, lifting a few strands of my hair up in the air. "Maybe you know her uncle, though. They share some similarities in their appearance."

"Yeah, I think you're right. That must be it", he replied briefly, as he started to move around. So, what can I get the two of you?"

"The usual Tonkotsu, please", Katsumi answered instantly, seemingly for both of us, taking her guide role further than she did up until then. I chuckled, as her choosing the menu was the last thing on my mind. I wasn't even hungry to begin with, but I was willing to extend our stay, so I could properly asses what was going on with these two. I just nodded to her, although she moved to her other concerns, almost like it didn't matter what my opinion was.

"So, how is Keiko doing? Are you two getting married soon?"

I quickly covered my mouth in an attempt to muffle my laughter – her inquisitiveness was unbelievable, yet really funny to watch. I peeked at Yusuke, who was visible annoyed by her question, as he turned his back on us to stir the meat, while the other guy indulged her challenge and started to laugh loudly, taking it even further than Katsumi intended.

"Yeah, Urameshi, what are you waiting for? Maybe she'll eventually get tired of your lazy ass if you don't do anything!", he snorted, barely being able to speak in between laughters.

"Why you…", Yusuke hissed, turning on his feet to face him, landing a punch on his head in a blink of an eye. Katsumi snapped, laughing uncontrollably as Kuwabara started whining and rubbing his bump.

Judging by their reactions, it was rather their usual behaviour, so I felt free to laugh as well – they were trying to make it all seem normal, but they couldn't fake the slight tension that was building up between us. He was certainly not bothered by my energy, since he most definitely encountered demons around the city before – it was this gut feeling of his that he should have known me from before, as he kept on looking towards me from time to time. It was pointless though – I knew we never met, but I knew that I heard his name before. Maybe that was his case as well, as he seemed to pay attention when Katsumi mentioned my last name; his eyes widened in surprise when she also mentioned Minamino's name – and while my personal ties were none of their concern, it helped me realise that they knew him, as they both flinched at the same time.

When I eventually managed to snap out of my thoughts, it looked like they moved on with their discussion over Yusuke's marriage plans, as Katsumi and Kuwabara kept on taunting him about when they should expect their invitations. I chuckled at the thought of such trivial issues, watching their faces as they talked about it – for a moment, it felt the most ideal life, one that didn't involve hunts, secrets and fear.

The serene atmosphere was, however, shattered within seconds, as we were all startled by a loud explosion that took place somewhere not too far from us, followed by a wave of muffled screams.

"What was that?", Katsumi was first to speak, looking around in confusion. The boys had no trouble locating the source of clamor, as they followed my glance to see a cloud of smoke rising above the buildings.

"It can't be…it's coming from the stadium, isn't it?", Kuwabara murmured, clenching his fists as he stood up.

"Yeah. There was supposed to be some game tonight, or so I heard from my earlier customers", Yusuke confirmed, his eyebrows furrowing with unease.

"You felt it too, didn't you?", I replied as I turned around to face them. They met me with surprised looks, but they only nodded in response. That was no coincidence, and there was nothing usual about that explosion – and we all knew it.

"What are you talking about? What is going on?", Katsumi raised her voice, as we all seemed to ignore her questions. She didn't seem bothered at all, since she had no idea what was actually happening - none of us did, but that was precisely why the others were restless.

"Katsumi, you should head home, fast!", Yusuke replied, jumping over the counter as he landed between us. "There's no time to explain this, just trust me. Go!"

"I'm not going anywhere until one of you is telling me what the hell is going on! You can't seriously expect me…to…". She was starting to reel, slowly losing her balance. Yusuke grabbed her quickly, as she fell in his arms unconsciously. He shook her a few times, before pinning his eyes on my fingers, as they were juggling a small water bubble from one another.

"What did you do to her?" he yelled, shortening the distance between us with a small step. His anger was all mixed up with a slight amount of shock, as it was obvious enough that I didn't hurt her in any way.

"Calm down. I just drew a little bit of water out of her body, so it will make her sleepy. She wouldn't have complied without putting up a fight, and there is no time for that, is it?", I murmured, looking him straight in the eye. "She is my friend, so I wouldn't ever hurt her. Can you take her somewhere safe? We should move."

His eyes softened all of sudden, as my explanation seemed clear enough for him. He backed up, getting closer to his friend who was just as confused as you'd expect him to be. It all happened so fast, that it was barely possible to keep track. Yusuke placed Katsumi in his arms, taking one last look before turning his eyes to the cloud who was increasing with every second that passed.

"Kuwabara, take her to Keiko's house. I'll explain it to her later. Find your way to us as soon as you're done."

"Are you sure, Urameshi? Can you trust her?", he hovered, throwing his suspicious gaze towards me.

"Yeah. Now go", he spoke firmly, so there was no place for a comeback from his friend. Kuwabara grunted before eventually taking off, leaving just the two of us to deal with whatever was awaiting there. I glanced at him, as his energy began to intensify, sparkling around him like a wildfire.

"Did you actually mean that?", I chuckled, turning my head to see Katsumi's teal hair fading into the distance. Kuwabara had every right to doubt me, but Yusuke didn't seem to be concerned anymore.

"Look, I'm not the brainy one around. It's just a hunch, but if you had any intention to harm us you would've tried something by now".

His honesty was implacable – he was partly right, but there was no time for chatter. We had to move quickly, so we could minimize the damage that had already been done. I took his answer as a yes, so I started to run towards the noise's direction, having him follow me in no time. We went on for less than ten minutes before we dove into a dense haze, barely being able to distinguish any figures around us. We slowed down, watching our step carefully as we kept on advancing. As the shouting became clearer, we knew we were close.

"Do you have any idea what this is about? There haven't been any demon attacks in months", he stated, becoming more alert as we approached the stadium.

"Not really. I barely got here. However, this would be my second encounter with them today."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a demon around my school earlier, but that might have been personal. He knew me, so I'm not sure that these two events are related."

"Well, we're about to find out.", he replied briefly, as we passed by large groups of people running from the opposite direction, screaming in horror. They didn't seem to be injured, but they were definitely terrified. Fires were usually scary, but there was definitely no ordinary fire. I could sense it - the energy surrounding the stadium grew bigger as we approached it, flooding its surroundings like waves. I stopped for a second, closing my eyes – there had to be more demons this time, and they seemed like moving a lot faster than my previous opponent. We had to think it through, so we wouldn't expose ourselves recklessly.

"How many of them are there?", I yelled, trying to locate Yusuke through all the scared people that were gathering around us.

"I'm guessing two, maybe three. Nonetheless, I'm going in!", he yelled back, taking a few steps further. At the same time, more people burst out of the stadium's doors, covering our voices by their fearful howls. They were shoving eachother in a desperate attempt to escape unharmed, but they only managed to slow themselves down. There was this gruesome feeling floating in the air, the chaos state that my father described when his own men attacked in the Human World for the first time. The despair was palpable, so I needed to keep myself level-headed.

" We need to evacuate these people before approaching them. We'd be putting them in unnecessary danger!", I pleaded, trying to guide some of them out of the smoke.

Yusuke seemed to do the same while slowly advancing to the stadium's entrance, when another explosion took place on its roof, making everyone swoop in every direction they could take. The mist faded just a little, so I was finally able to see their silhouettes raising above the crowd – Yusuke was right, there were two of them, and their crimson eyes were pointed right at us. These eyes again! So maybe these attacks are related after all…But what do they want?

I only got enough time to move my sight to locate Yusuke, before one of them rushed towards me with incredible speed – it was a matter of seconds before he'd reach me, so I had no time to find any water source aside from my own body. There was only one thing left for me to do, and that was to drag him apart from the other one, as well as from most of the people that were gathering around me.

"Urameshi ! The other one's still on the roof! I'm gonna deal with this one!", I managed to yell before starting to run again, sliding in between people as fast as I could.

My opponent was drawing close, his presence being more tangible as I moved further. If he was the same kind of demon as the one at my school, we would use his claws as his first move, and I would only have my bare hands for defense – but for now, it was more than enough. Once I felt him close enough, I suddenly stopped and turned around to face him, raising my hands just in time ; he descended abruptly from above, aiming his claws at my face, but he found himself cutting through both my palms instead – I only needed to bend a little bit on my side to avoid him gouging one of my eyes. He flew behind me, landing on the ground with a loud thud.

"Oi! What are you doing?!" Yusuke barked at me, clearly confused by my move – but I had no time to explain that either. He'd just have to figure it out as it went on. I was just standing there, unmoved, with my back towards my enemy, who was mockingly clapping.

"That was a lucky move, Nakamura! Rejoice, 'cause you won't get another one!", he roared, baring his teeth in a gruesome smirk.

"You're right", I murmured, smiling for myself." I'm almost certain that I won't need another chance to defend myself". My palms were both bleeding, with tiny drops hitting the ground as I clenched my fists. I let it drip for a few minutes, until I could feel my hands soaked – it was time to begin.

"This audacity of yours is laughable! Enjoy your last breath on Earth, little half-breed!" he growled, preparing to dash towards me, arching his fingers.

This move is already getting old, I sighed, clenching my fists harder, digging my nails into my flesh – I could already feel the knives shaping inside my palms. I was ready. As I sensed him moving forward, I swirled on my feet, gently releasing my fingers from the grip, enough to meet his eyes flashing with shock – then, suddenly, I increased my speed at a rate of which, as a normal bystander, one could barely distinguish any human features inside the vortex. I could catch a glimpse of him, attempting to land his attack – but it was him who had no chance to defend himself anymore. Managing to confuse him with my swirl, the knives arrived when he least expected it – his initial cut was perfect, allowing me to form them continuously. I didn't need much focus on that move – all I needed was to keep my balance, enabling my daggers to fly through him from multiple direction, so he wouldn't be able to dodge all of them. For some reason I could feel a certain thrill, opposing the feeling I experienced during my last fight – I no longer felt guilty for fighting back, as they clearly placed a target upon me. Their reason was still something I had to figure out, but in that precise moment, it didn't quite matter – I just had to dispose of my enemy, who should have been done with by then. As I slowed down, I got to see the result of my whirlwind of knives – his hand covering his right eye, with a trail of blood dripping underneath his fingers, but his right arm seemed to take the most damage, blocking the rest of the daggers from his face. Both his legs were significantly injured as well, probably from his failed attempt to jump away from the assault.

His torso, however, was surprisingly unscratched – maybe his defense hasn't completely failed after all.

"You…I didn't expect that burst of power from a half-breed, but that was definitely your last…", he mumbled, baring his teeth once more – this time, his anger was clearly taking over, as he tried to get up on his feet.

"You should change the script, really. Your colleague told me the same thing, it's getting old", I sighed, rolling another danger in my hand as I stepped towards him. "But maybe you can bring some fresh touch to his speech, so tell me who's behind all this thing".

"You've got some nerve, kid. You'll find out soon enough, so enjoy your days as they come. You can't know when your end is coming… I can tell you that it's close". He smirked before wincing in pain, squeezing his hand, dripping more blood all over his face.

"Eye for an eye, as they say", I noted, rising my dagger near my right eye, the one that he tried to gouge earlier. "However, that threat is getting old, too. I'm going to ask you one more time, though".

I closed the distance between us with a few more steps, as I was standing before him, rolling the dagger between my fingers. "Who. Is. Behind. This?!"

He chuckled mockingly, spitting blood towards me. He raised his crimson eyes to look at me, abruptly raising himself to slash me with his unharmed arm. I was expecting that, as I took just another step back to throw my knife, when the unpredictable happened - a flashing light struck before my eyes, suddenly cutting him in half, with his screams filled the silence around me. I only had enough time to adjust before it was all over – and then I could see him, lying on the ground, with Kuwabara towering over his body, with a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"Sheesh, I thought this would be more entertaining, but he seemed to have no decency at all. How dare he assault a woman like that?"

He can't be serious…, I growled, narrowing my eyes at him. Yeah, he was definitely serious. Dead serious.

"I could have managed him, you know…but thank you, that was very considerate of you."

"Of course! Kuwabara the man, saving the day once more!", he yelled, raising his hand with a victorious move.

This guy is unbelievable, I concluded, preventing myself from hitting his head. Now I could understand Yusuke's reaction back at the ramen booth – he was something else, there was no doubting it. He was blabbering about finding Urameshi, jumping around like a child.

"Shuichi! Shuichi, where are you?"

I flinched, turning my head to find the voice. That was when I became aware of my surroundings – the chaos kept on going, as the smoke was still floating around, impeding the people from getting out. Their number seemed to have grown, as I could barely recognize any of those who I guided before ; I wasn't even aware that, by running, I stopped close to a bridge – that would have made my task much easier.I kept searching for the voice calling, when I finally saw this man, holding onto his bleeding arm, walking rather slowly, his eyes searching desperately for someone else – Shuichi. I gasped, following his gaze through the crowd – Shuichi…could he be…?

"Wait…that's Kurama's step-father! I had no idea that he was going to be there…", Kuwabara murmured, rushing towards that man, grabbing him in order to help him stand. " Hey, mr. Hatanaka, take it easy. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just scratched my arm as I was heading out of that stadium…but I can't find Shuichi! Have you seen him? I must have lost him when that wave of people heaped around the entrance!"

"Shuichi…as in little Shuichi? I didn't see him on my way here…but we'll find him, don't worry!",

Kurama…who is that? My mind is playing me again. Why do I feel like I've heard this before?

My thoughts shifted abruptly as the man started to struggle inside Kuwabara's grip, screaming at the top of his lungs. I switched my gaze to follow theirs, seeing a child getting pushed by the running crowd, flipping over the bridge's edge as a result. My mind froze, but my legs seemed to be moving on their own – in no time, I was jumping over that edge, launching myself after him. I bent my body forward, trying to speed up my way towards him; his screams faded quickly as the shock took over – he closed his eyes, so he didn't get to see me reaching for him. As soon as I caught him with one hand, I started to raise a wave from the river flowing beneath us, wrapping it around us like a shield – so before we hit the water, we were enclosed inside the bubble, protecting him from a thermic shock as well. He was barely conscious, so I had to move fast to get ourselves on the surface – as I lifted both my arms, the bubble started to raise above the river, floating slowly towards the shore. Seconds after we managed to land on the ground, he suddenly started to mumble, staring at me with widened eyes.

"What happened? What…what are you?"

"I'm a friend. Don't worry, you'll be okay, I promise", I smiled, gently drawing some of the water soaking his clothes. He was clearly shocked, so I didn't even think he'd notice the whole process of me getting him out. No, I didn't think any of it. At all. All I could see was him falling, with his father breaking down in tears – I couldn't bare to watch that pain. I knew I had to stop it. I had to help him. And there he was, slightly frightened, shaking from the cold – but he was alive.

"Amaya! Are you two okay?"

Yusuke's voice shook me off from my thoughts, as he was approaching us along with Kuwabara, carrying Shuichi's father. They kneeled beside us, with mr. Hatanaka hugging his confused son, crying with relief. I smiled once more before getting up, watching over the bridge, as firefighters cars and ambulances were rushing towards the stadium. I sighed, realising that everyone was eventually going to be fine – but my relief was short lived, as I could feel two pair of eyes pointing at me. I turned around to see these guys staring, with a mix of emotions drawn over their faces.

"How did you…?"

"I took swimming lessons a few years ago. It wasn't that big of a deal, so it's fine. He's mostly shaken by the fall, but I reached him before he dove in so… He wasn't hurt."

They knew as well as I did that there was more than just "swimming lessons. They also knew that there was no place for us to talk things through - so I just nodded at them, with them mirroring my response in utter silence.

"My words will never be enough to thank you…Thank you so much, miss! You saved my son!", the man cried, grabbing my hand tightly. I smiled at him, taking his hand in mine, unknowingly smearing it with my own blood. His eyes widened with concern, as he looked at me horrified. I took another look at my hands as I remembered about my cuts. My healing was obviously slowed down, but they didn't hurt anymore – there was no wonder why I forgot about them.

"It's alright, they're barely scratches. They will heal in no time, don't worry about that!". He wasn't very convinced, but he switched his focus back to his son, who was shaking even more energetically, with the cold wind blowing over our heads.

I turned back to Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were still staring blankly at me.

"They should be taken to a hospital. They're in no serious danger, but it would be better to have them under medical observation", I whispered to them, pointing out at the ambulances gathering around the stadium.

"You're right", Kuwabara pondered,as he shoved Yusuke's side. "We should call Kurama, he might want to know what happened"

"Yeah, we'll call him as soon as we reach one of the ambulances", he replied, before raising his eyebrows, with his face distorted with horror. It wasn't fear that he was feeling – he was far stronger than me, and he must have known by now that I had no intention to hurt them in any way. It was more like he knew that he spoke way too much – but I had already figured than one out.

"I guess you two can handle it from here", I murmured, seemingly ignoring their little conversation. . I should get going, my uncle must be worried…I'm way past my curfew."

"Wait…", Yusuke started, but stopped as I raised my hand at him.

"I know. There will be another time for that. Take good care of them and…maybe don't mention my name to him?"

They blinked twice in surprise, making me chuckle in response. Apparently, they really hoped that I didn't really catch that short exchange between them, both there and at the ramen booth. But they couldn't have known that I paid attention. I always paid attention – and luckily, that would turn out to be my most useful asset yet.

Aaaand that's a wrap for chapter 5! Thank you for reading so far!

I think it was the first time I experience what they call " writer's block", but I hope that I managed to pull it of in the most pleasant way. Hope you guys enjoyed it, so feel free to give out your impressions in the review section! ^^ Have a lovely day!